RedStorm men blank Point Park

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — After a string of lopsided victories, the University of Rio Grande men’s soccer team showed that it can win the close games, too.

The RedStorm netted a first half goal and then survived a caution-filled second stanza to post a 1-0 win over Point Park University, Thursday afternoon, in River States Conference action at Highmark Stadium.

Rio Grande, which is ranked No. 7 in the latest NAIA coaches’ poll, improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in league play as a result of its seventh shutout victory of the season.

Point Park slipped to 5-4 overall and 1-2 in league play with the loss.

Overall, the Pioneers were outshot 18-6 for the game, including 15-2 in the first half.

Rio also enjoyed an 8-4 edge in shots on frame and 9-1cushion in corner kick chances.

The RedStorm, who had outshot the opposition 99-9 in their previous three matches, while also not allowing a shot on goal in their last two outings, netted what proved to be the game’s only marker with just over 18-1/2 minutes left before the intermission.

Freshman Nicolas Cam Orellana (Santiago, Chile) gathered in a centering pass from junior teammate James Williamson (San Jose, Costa Rica) six yards in front of the goal and pushed a shot past PPU net-minder Juan Somoza with 18:36 remaining in the half.

While the first half of play produced no cautions of any kind, the second half saw the two squads combine for 12 cards – six on each squad.

Five of the 12 violations resulted in red cards, including a pair against the RedStorm.

Senior Harry Reilly (Coventry, England), who had received a yellow card caution just over five minutes into the second half, was sent off after receiving another in the 78th minute.

Fellow senior Mitchell Osmond (Sydney, Australia) earned a yellow of his own just over two minutes into the second half and was forced to leave in the 83rd minute when red carded for his part in a brief tussle with Point Park’s Ricardo Merced.

Reilly and Osmond will both be forced to miss Rio’s next game, which comes on Saturday in a return trip to the Steel City to face Carlow University.

Merced was also ejected, just three minutes after his teammate, Tadeo D’Apollo, was given the boot.